It is known in the art of fiber lasers that a fiber laser comprises a length of optical fiber (or laser cavity) which is doped with an optically active rare-earth ion (or gain medium), e.g., Neodymium or Erbium, and has optical reflectors spaced apart by a predetermined distance along the fiber with the gain medium therebetween. The fiber is optically pumped by pump light having a predetermined pump wavelength which excites the gain medium such that the population of excited atoms is greater than the population of unexcited (or less excited) atoms in the lasing transition (known as population inversion). As the energy of the atoms in the gain material transition back to their original unexcited state (or a lower energy level), photons are emitted at a predetermined lasing wavelength. Such emitted photons cause (or stimulate) other excited atoms in the gain medium to emit similar photons, thereby creating the well known lasing effect. The optical reflectors are designed to reflect a predetermined amount of light at the lasing wavelength and the length of the cavity and the amount of cavity gain is set so as to cause light at the lasing wavelength to continuously oscillate within the cavity to allow lasing to be sustained. Also, at least one of the reflectors does not reflect light at the pump wavelength, thereby allowing the pump light to enter the cavity through one of the end reflectors.
It is also known that such reflectors may be Bragg gratings which are impressed into the optical fiber, as discussed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,807,950 and 4,725,110 entitled "Method for Impressing Gratings within Fiber Optics", both to Glenn et al.
Such a laser can be designed and fabricated so as to achieve single longitudinal mode lasing performance with narrow linewidth and continuous tunability over a predetermined wavelength range, as is discussed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,305,335, entitled "Single Longitudinal Mode Pumped Optical Waveguide Laser Arrangement", to Ball et al, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,317,576, entitled "Continuously Tunable Single-Mode Rare-Earth Doped Pumped Laser Arrangement", to Ball et al.
Such a laser can be designed and fabricated so as to achieve single longitudinal mode lasing performance with narrow linewidth and continuous tunability over a predetermined wavelength range, as is discussed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,305,335, entitled "Single Longitudinal Mode Pumped Optical Waveguide Laser Arrangement", to Ball et al, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,317,576, entitled "Continuously Tunable Single-Mode Rare-Earth Doped Pumped Laser Arrangement", to Ball et al.
Such fiber laser sources offer the possibility of improved performance characteristics such as higher power and narrower linewidth when compared to semiconductor laser sources and diode pumped solid state laser sources commonly used in fiber optic systems.
However, such prior art laser sources do not provide a simple inexpensive means for controlling the polarization state of the output light from the laser. Such polarization control of the output light from the fiber laser is desirable if the fiber laser is used as a source to provide light to polarization sensitive fiber components such as fiber couplers, waveguide devices, or polarization sensitive optical modulators. Also, having polarization control is useful if a plurality of fiber lasers output lights are to be combined.
Further, because most optical fibers have some amount of birefringence (i.e., a slightly different refractive index for the two polarizations), and because the process of writing fiber gratings induces a slight birefringence in the fiber grating, the output light from a fiber laser will generally be randomly elliptically polarized.
Alternatively, the fiber laser cavity may be made from polarization preserving (or maintaining) fiber; however, such fiber will not prevent lasing on more than one polarization mode.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide a fiber laser which has consistent polarization control of the laser output light.